Despite never winning a major championship, Lee Westwood is the pre-tournament favorite at 11/1 odds to win the 111th U.S. Open at Congressional in Bethesda, MD, while Luke Donald (12/1) comes into the tournament looking to enforce his world #1 ranking and capture his first major just outside the Washington, D.C.  Phil Mickelson is the highest favored American golfer by Vegas with odds of 14/1.  Rory McIlroy rounds out the top 4 favorites at 16/1, with a large group of golfers next in line at 25/1.

I don’t know about everyone else, but Tiger’s announcement last week to pull out of the nation’s championship has left a damper on the weekend for me before the tournament has even started.  I was watching The Golf Channel one night last week and an analyst was worried that the time between each successive leg injury is getting shorter, hinting at the possibility that injuries may plague the world’s greatest golfer for the rest of his career.  As much as it will pain me to watch another major championship without Tiger in contention, my hope is that this short term disappointment will lead to long term success, and by success I mean Tiger surpassing that magical number of 18.

As mentioned above, the 111th U.S. Open will be held at The Blue Course at Congressional Country Club just outside of our nation’s capital.  The last time The Blue Course hosted the U.S. Open, Ernie Els won his second U.S. Open by one stroke over Colin Montgomery.  Although Els won the tournament, the 1997 U.S. Open could also be remembered for the collapse of Colin Montgomery in one of his best opportunities to capture a major championship.  Tied for the lead with two holes to play, Montgomery bogeyed the 17th hole and finished one stroke behind Els for sole possession of second place.

This weeks tournament should be just as close as the 1997 version, with the course measuring 7,574 yards, it is the second longest U.S. Open in history to Torrey Pines in 2008, the site of Tiger Woods’ win on only one knee.  The length of the course should make the tournament extremely difficult, with expected U.S. Open 4″ rough forcing players to be not only long but precise with their tee shots all week long.

With no American’s currently holding a major championship, let’s hope that this weekend outside our nation’s capital can prove to be the turning point for American golf in majors.

More to come on the 2011 U.S. Open as the week progresses..